Hair cleaning device



June 9, 1959 L. HAZZARD HAIR CLEANING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed i ieb'. 4 1957 INVENTOR:

June 9, 1959 L, HAZZAR 2,889,835

HAIR CLEANING DEVICE Filed Feb. 4, 1957 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

LLWW BY m United States Patent HAIR CLEANING DEVICE Lillian Hazzard, New York, NY. Application February 4, 1957, Serial No. 637,939

2 Claims. (Cl. 132-109) My invention relates to devices for cleaning hair, and its preferred use is the cleaning of the hair of women.

I have found that ordinary combs and brushes can not remove dirt, for example soot and dust, from thehair, and that combing or brushing with these ordinary instruments rather causes the dirt to mix with natural or applied hair oil or other moisture, forms a sticky, grimy and eventually hardening mixture and distributes this mixture throughout the hair whereby the hair becomes unsanitary, unmanageable, unattractive and eventually brittle.

Objects of my invention are to avoid these drawbacks and to provide a comb-like device which removes soot, other dirt and excessive moisture effectively whereby the regular application of this device keeps the hair permanently in sanitary, clean, attractive and manageable condition.

Other objects are to absorb dirt and moisture by a soft comb-like body, to provide this body with sutficient stiffness by afixing it to a holder of suitable shape, to use one holder permanently, to attach the absorbent soft body to the holder exchangeably whereby this body can be discarded and replaced when dirty, and thereby toprovide a cleaning device which can be kept clean by the economic replacement of an inexpensive part.

Further objects are to connect the exchangeable body reliably with the holder, to facilitate this connection, and thereby to make possible an easy and quick exchange of the soft body.

Still other objects are to make the holder as a separate unit, to make the soft body as a separate unit which may be sold separately for replacements, to mold this body as one piece, and thereby to facilitate the replacement and the inexpensive production.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from the appended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a front view of an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a bottom view of the same embodiment.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the replaceable part of the same embodiment.

The shown embodiment consists of a permanent and of an exchangeable part. Each of these parts may form a separate commercial unit, but co-operate to achieve the inventive objects.

The permanent part comprises a holder and a row of rods or spikes 3 afiixed to the holder. The holder is preferably constructed in the following manner:

Two members 4 and 5 have lower ends forming jaws 6 and 7 and have upper ends 8 passing through windows 9 in a spring 11 of arc-shaped cross-section whereby the spring unites the members into a clamp-like device similar to a well known type of paper clips. The spring 11 urges the jaws 6 and 7 toward each other. These jaws can be farther spaced by compressing the ends 8 against the pressure of the spring 11.

Some buttons 12, for example three, are affixed to the member 4 in any suitable manner. For example, each button12 may be tightly pressed into a bore 13 of this member. In closed condition of the clamp, the heads of these buttons reach into cavities 14 of the member 5. The two members have fiat surfaces 15 and 16 which face each other and extend about the buttons 12. In closed condition of the clamp, the surfaces 15 and 16 are only slightly spaced from each other and are substantially parallel.

The spikes 3 are arranged at uniform distances parallel to each other like the teeth of a comb and are connected with each other and with the holder permanently in any "suitable manner.

For example, the upper ends of the spikes 3 are welded or otherwise connected with a horizontal rod 17 which extends beyond the row of spikes 3 and has ends similarly connected with shorter, horizontally crossing rods 18. One end of each of the two rods 18 is afiixed to one of the members, for example to the member 5 by firmly pressing the end into a bore of the jaw 7. The other ends of the rods 18 reach slidably into bores 19 of the other jaw 6 whereby both jaws hold the rods without spacing of the jaws being hindered.

The exchangeable part comprises an elongated portion 21 which may have a substantially rectangular shape. A row of tooth-shaped parts 22 extend from the portion 21 at distances from each other identical to the distances of the spikes 3. A channel 23 extends in each tooth 22 from a point near the tip of the tooth in the longitudinal direction of the tooth and farther through the portion 21. The exchangeable part is preferably further provided with a broad flap 24 which extends from the portion 21 upward. This flap has several button holes 25, one for each button 12.

The exchangeable part is made in one piece of soft absonbent material, for example, of paper pulp of the kind used for tissue paper. This pulp may be shaped in a mold of suitable structure which is divided for easy removal of the product and comprises cores for forming the channels 23. A set of several exchangeable parts may be packed as a commercial unit for sale to owners of the permanent part.

In order to attach an exchangeable part to the permanent part, the spikes 3 are inserted in the channels 23 like fingers in a glove, and the members 4 and 5 are spread by compressing their ends 8. Then the flap 24 is buttoned to the buttons 12 whereupon the ends 8 are released. This makes the spring 11 compress the jaws 6 and 7. These jaws indent and grip the cushion formed by the soft portion 21. At the same time, the flap 24 is caught between the surfaces 14 and 15 of the jaw members. The device is now in the condition shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

In this condition, the device may be used like a comb. The teeth 22 combing the hair absorib grime, soot and the like, and thereby remove all dirt from the hair. Scalp and hair are protected from contact with the harder parts of the device by the soft material of the teeth and of the cushion 21 of which the lower portion may contribute to the cleaning effect.

The same device may be used also for dyeing hair. For this purpose, a suitable dye is applied to the teeth 22 and then combed into the hair. The spikes 3 fit the channels 23 snugly and provide the teeth 22 with the stiffness required for combing.

Dirty exchangeable parts can be easily removed after the jaws 6 and 7 have been spread by compressing the member ends 8. Then, the removed parts are discarded and replaced by clean parts.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiment shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other ways within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention as it is obvious that the particular embodiment shown and described is only one of the many that maybe employed to attain the objects ofi my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I. claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for cleaning hair, comprising a holder having two jaw members and means urging, the jaws 015 said members toward each other, a row of spikes aflixed, to said holder, and a body made of softv absorbent material, said body having an elongated portion gripped by said jaws along. longitudinal lines of said portion, and.

having a row of tooth-shaped parts extending-from said elongated portion, each of said parts having a tubularly coherent wall surrounding a channel extending in its. longitudinal direction, said spikes reaching into, said channels.

2. A device for cleaning hair, comprising a holder having two jaw members and means urging the jaws. of said members toward each other, buttons afiixcd to one of said jaw members and having heads projecting into a cavity ofthe other member, a row of spikes afifixed to saidholder, and a body made of soft absorbent material,

said body having an elongated portion gripped by said jaws and having a flap extending from said portion between said members, said flap having holes buttoned to said buttons, said body further having a row of toothshaped parts extending from said elongated portion, each of said parts having a channel extending in its longitudinal direction, said spikes reaching into said channels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS GreatBritain Dec. 16, 1931 Great Britain July, 26, 1934 

